Distances
by Soulhearts
Summary: Loki's true nature is revealed to the King of Jötunheimr, and King Laufey demands his lost son's return. Odin agrees to hand Loki over... for a price. Suddenly thrust back to his home world, Loki is used as a piece in one of Odin's ploys in order to keep relative peace between Ásgard and Jötunheimr, but the young Loki starts learning truths he never could have guessed.
1. The House of Þrymrjarson (Part One)

_Chapter One/Kapittel En:_

His mysterious emerald eyes fluttered open with little clarity. His dark, midnight hair fell in locks around his face, onto the silky pillow. Loki was still robed in Æsir garments, even though he was nowhere near his fellow Æsir anymore. His emerald clothes were showily adorned with tiny little jewels and his hair had been freed of its usual slicked back styling and was beautiful and black, glitter highlighting sections of it here and there. Often as a boy Loki had wondered _why_ the people of Ásgard felt the need to have such pretentious clothing and conceited styling. But now, _oh now_, Loki desperately wished he was back in Ásgard where the people liked to brag about their fashion choices. Instead, he was _here_…

"My son…"

A hand the colour of dark azure reached out and gently touched his Æsir locks with a great sorrow laced within the action. Loki tried not to flinch, but he knew that the older male had felt it, and Loki cursed himself and his cowardliness. If Thor had been next to him, he would have chastised him for being so. But Thor wasn't here. Loki knew that. No, the man sitting beside him was the one that had left him to die in a frozen temple on this wasteland of a world: Laufey, the king of Jötunheimr. And knowing who the man next to him was only drilled home the point to Loki that he wasn't of Ásgard, and Loki's last name wasn't _Odinson _anymore. Not like his older brother who was still able to proudly call himself _Thor Odinson_. No, not anymore, now, he was Loki _Laufeyson._

The king of frost giants gently lifted his hand away, not wishing to frighten his lost child anymore. Such damage had been done to this Laufeyson child. Such lies had been spun and fed to his boy. _Laufey's _child… _His_ child! Odin Allfather had brazenly taken _his _child! Not content with slaughtering thousands of Jötnar, Odin had gone so far as to kidnap his newborn child! Every time Laufey thought about it in the past week, the angrier he had become. What was even worse was that, up until a week ago, Laufey had believed his Loki child _dead_! Five-hundred years Laufey had mourned the loss of his youngest son, but now, to have it thrown back at him, to suddenly know that he was _alive_… Laufey couldn't sit on his laurels. He had so much time to make up for.

"Loki, my son, will you not eat?" Laufey gently inquired, looking down sadly at the untouched food on the silver tray sitting on the end of the bed. Laufey, thinking that Loki could not yet stomach Jötun foods, had even gone so far as to have Æsir food brought in from Ásgard for his youngest son. "You haven't eaten in three days; I am worried for your health."

Loki drew a shaky breath as he sat upright, briefly meeting the blood red eyes of Ásgard's most hated enemy before his cowardliness made him look away. It was in this brief space of time that Loki silently thanked the Norns that he had studied various languages of the nine realms in his spare time – the language of the Jötun being among them. It would not have boded well for him if he had been left in a world where he could not convey even the tiniest thing through his words, and Loki knew that the Jötnar had been removed from the Allspeak all those centuries ago. If Thor had been in Loki's position, he would not being doing so well. Laufey reached for Loki's face and blue skin met that of white for only a moment. Loki drew back sharply in alarm before he allowed the giant to touch his cheek again.

Loki could feel his glamour melting, like wax from a burning candle it faded away. It was like removing make-up from one's face. When it was there it made Loki feel secure, as if he could hide his problems from the world. When he was wearing it, no one could make him cry because the mask he wore was one of strength. No matter what his father – Odin, or his brother – Thor, thought or did to Loki, he could hide away what he truly felt. Loki knew that Thor had never purposely hurt him, and Loki believed that his father had _tried _his hardest to do right by his son, but both of them had left scars upon Loki's soul that had never truly healed.

Laufey removed his hand from Loki's skin and the beautiful sapphire sparkle that glistened on a midnight-blue skin that had briefly graced his son's face, was quickly covered up by the pale sun-skin that Loki was familiar with.

"Tell me my son, why do you persist with this… _glamour_?" Laufey asked as he tried to bridge the gap between them. "Is it not uncomfortable to wear it? Surely it saps your strength? I would think it be a bother to wear all day, every day and never remove it."

"It isn't a bother." Loki rebuffed strongly, an effort of courage upon his face. But Laufey could see straight through the façade. Loki was scared of him and Laufey knew it. "I have never known anything else. It comes as naturally and effortlessly as breathing."

Laufey curiously studied his lost son for a moment. "Do you not wish to remove it now that you have returned home? It would be far more comfortable."

Loki's breathing paused for a moment and his heart missed a beat. _Take it off?_ Loki had never really tried before. The young man closed his eyes and again felt the melting wax sensation tingle all over his body. When Loki reopened his eyes, he found Laufey staring back at him with happiness in his own. Although the blood red was still chilling to look at, Loki felt the slightest bit better when knowing that the king before him wasn't angered that he had removed his glamour: the opposite in fact.

Loki stood and walked over to the upright mirror that stood on the left side of the bed. He surveyed himself for a moment, but then, Loki grimaced and closed his eyes before allowing his glamour to return to him. Turning away from the mirror he looked down at Laufey. The ice king had a look of disappointment in his eyes, and Loki thought it ironic that already had he managed to disappoint _another _father. Most people only had the opportunity to disappoint _one_, but not Loki. _Oh no_, the fates were _so_ kind as to allow him to be such a disappointment to bothOdin _and_ Laufey.

Loki felt disgusted with himself as he looked down at the floor. _Such similar reactions… _Loki mused. "I'm sorry." Loki apologised, speaking softly as if he were afraid of being punished.

Laufey suddenly realised the error of his ways. "_No_! Loki, do not apologise. It was I that forced you to do something you were uncomfortable with!"

Loki plastered on a tight smile as he thought of how his _other _father would have reacted. Hel, Odin blew a fuse when Loki so much as looked at him wrong!

Laufey stood, causing Loki to step backwards in fear for a moment. When Laufey reached again for his son, Loki closed his eyes and waited for the impact to hit. Yet, Laufey only pulled Loki into a tight hug and kissed his hair gently. Loki was suddenly confused. He had been sure that the frost giant was reaching out to hit him or _something!_

"It is _so_ good to have you home Loki. You have no idea how happy I am to know you are alive. _I'm so, so very thankful…"_ The Jötun giant's voice trailed off into a whisper.

* * *

"H-How is he?" A beautiful blue giantess sidled up next Laufey as he walked down the palatial hallways an hour later, her long coal-coloured hair drooping down lazily along her back and her cobalt dress shinning in the wintery sunlight that entered through the palace windows.

Laufey sighed wearily. "I know not if he'll ever come to trust me. The things he has been told by the Æsir… It is no wonder the child fears me. I made little progress with him today, but I thought I saw a smile cross his lips, even if it was only brief."

Hlín smiled at her beloved. "Do not fret my dearest one. Our child will come to know you and will come to know this realm as his own. Did you invite him to dine with us again tonight?" she inquired with a small frown across her brow as she looked over at her bōndi.

"Yes," replied Laufey, another bleak sigh escaping his blue lips. "But again I think he will not come. He barely moves around his room Hlín! I fear that he may be in too much shock and I worry about him."

Hlín looked at the father of her children with great concern. She was just as worried as Laufey, but she trusted in her motherly instinct that told her Loki would pull through and accept them in the end. "Do not hurry him my dearest Laufey. He is not a warrior but a seiðmann. You and I both know that those who have seiðr in our race are very emotionally connected – it is clear that Loki is suffering at the loss of what he probably still considers his family.

The child does not know us Laufey, to him we are nothing more than strangers… _and that is at best_. It is more likely that he considers us monsters. You and I both know the stories that we told our children when they were young. There are many Jötun children's stories that tell how evil the Æsir people are… It is likely to be the same about us in Ásgard. Loki has been raised believing that the Jötun people are nothing more than sick, twisted monsters that come after little children in the night. I'm sure when he found out that he was Jötun he must have despised himself; feared himself even! When one finds out they are the enemy of their people, what do they do? It is a wonder that our boy managed to survive in Ásgard, what with their brutish ways constantly pounding their ideals into him. … He is strong Laufey; I _know_ he will be alright in the end."

...

Loki sat alone in his new room, looking around at the furnishings and the décor. Somehow, Laufey had managed to hone in to Loki's likes and dislikes and Loki was soon drowning in items and clothes that were of emerald green and midnight black. Yet everything Laufey did only reminded him of home – _of his __Ásgard home. _All he really wanted was to be back in his chambers with Frigga holding him tight and telling him that everything was okay, that everything was only a dream! But it _wasn't _a dream.

At the threat of war from the Jötnar, Odin had become desperate. Odin knew that the Jötnar wanted the Casket of Ancient Winters back; their race was dwindling without it. In a desperate ploy, Odin had revealed Loki's true identity, throwing Jötunheimr into utter confusion. Laufey had demanded his son's return and it was then that Odin knew he had an advantage. Odin told the king of the ice realm that he could have the Casket of Ancient Winters, but as a trade off, Odin would kill Loki if Laufey chose the casket. If however, Laufey chose Loki, Odin would return Loki to the Jötunheimr king but King Laufey would have to call a truce between Jötunheimr and Ásgard and swear upon the souls of all his people that he would not go to war with the Æsir. Odin had bluffed when he had told Laufey that he would kill Loki. Loki was an _Odinson_ and to Odin, it would always remain that way, no matter where Loki was. But, just as Odin had expected, Laufey had fallen for his gambit and had agreed that in exchange for his lost son he would leave Ásgard untouched for another five-hundred years.

But of course, Loki knew not of anything that had transpired between the two kings. To him, Laufey might as well have kidnapped him. Loki had not _wanted_ to leave his home on Ásgard! No one had asked him what _he _wanted. It was then that Loki realised that he was little more than a valuable pawn in Odin's war games. Even without knowing the full extent of what had transpired, Loki was still smart enough to work out that he was being used as a bartering piece. Frigga had told him everything would be okay, that he would always be welcome in Ásgard and that Frigga would always see him as her son. Yet even as she sent him off with tears in her eyes, Loki felt a stab of pain in his chest: a wound of doubt. _No real mother would send off her child as Frigga had to Loki. No, a real mother would have fought to keep her child safe, out of harm's way, and most importantly would have fought to keep her son!_

Loki wiped away the tears that the memories brought him. _This was stupid_. He couldn't sit around all day moping. He wasn't goddamn dead either! Loki was the trickster god, the god of lies! A trickster would never give into the fates. Standing determinedly, Loki strode towards the entrance to his chambers…

* * *

Half an hour passed in silence. This was how dinner had been taken for the last three days, since the youngest Laufeyson had been returned. It wasn't even like the man had eaten with them, but everyone in the dining hall had continued sit in silence with baited breath as they ate.

"He won't come, will he?" Sol asked in a whisper to her brother Váli, whom she sat beside.

Váli shook his head sadly. "I don't think so, but don't say that to mother or father."

Laufey sighed as he put down his fork. "My children," he watched the pair jump in their seats as their heads turned towards their father guiltily. "You do not have to whisper about your brother here. You may freely speak your minds."

The two younger frost giants exchanged glances with each other before shrugging. Sol was the first to speak up.

"What is he like, our youngest brother?" She asked tentatively.

"He is… reserved… or so it seems for the moment. He's having a hard time dealing with the shock of being returned home." Hlín replied calmly as she stabbed a piece of raw wolf meat from her plate, silently pretending that it was Odin Allfather.

"Does he look like us?" Váli quickly piped up.

"Yes, when he removes his glamour he looks very much like you Váli. But the Æsir have made it hard for him to feel comfortable in our skin. _I_ believe Odin did something to Loki when he was younger. Loki denies any wrong-doings that Odin has done, but either he wishes to protect the man he once claimed as father, or he does not remember–"

Laufey paused in his conspiracy theory as he heard the door to the dining hall creak open. A tuft of black hair peaked through the doors at the group of seated Jötnar and there was a pair of green eyes watching them all very closely.

"Loki!" Laufey exclaimed, causing his child to flinch. Keeping himself in check and lowering his voice in fear of scaring off his child, Laufey invited Loki to join them.

"I'm sorry…" Loki apologised again as he sat down at the table with the four other frost giants. "Was I interrupting?"

"No, no of course you weren't snowflake!" Hlín replied as she felt a sudden surge of motherly protectiveness at seeing her child, even if he _was _wearing the skin of her enemy. She had only seen him once since he had been returned to Jötunheimr, and at the time, Loki had looked so listless and lost that she'd thought it best that she leave him in peace.

Loki looked at her incredulously. _Had she just called him 'snowflake'?_ Loki assumed it must have been the Jötun version of 'sunshine'. Still, wasn't such talk reserved for mating partners and small children? As no one else seemed as perturbed by this as Loki was, the dark-haired man ignored the comment and pulled a plate forwards.

Loki didn't recognize any of the foods upon the table, and everyone seemed to hold their breath in anticipation, waiting to see what Loki would choose; what he would like of the Jötunheimr foods. Loki scanned the table for anything familiar, but his search seemed pointless. The young god reached out for the closest item that looked very much like some sort of fruit and he placed it on his plate, analyzing it before the taste test, so to speak. The fruit was green, and oval shaped and Loki took a sniff at it.

"It's called an eple." Sol explained when she realised what Loki was doing. "They're nice, you should try it and see if you like it. They grow during the spring months in huge orchards that are located in the blå-is fjell. They are a rare fruit on Jötunheimr because they are more sensitive to the fluctuating cold than most of our other foods."

Loki was a bit uncomfortable with everyone watching him as he ate, but when he bit into the strange fruit, all was forgotten. The juice ran into his mouth as he tasted the food that tasted so much like Iðunn's apples of Ásgard.

"I-it's good." He announced quietly. The family seemed to release their collectively held breath as Loki took another bite of the strange, green fruit that reminded him of home.

Laufey looked down at his plate, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Perhaps… Perhaps there was hope yet for his broken son.

...

* * *

Odin, Frigga and Thor all sat around the dining table that night and while the rest of the warriors and Æsir people ate and drank with merriment, the three could only think of Loki. Thor sighed, already on the verge of tears as he looked at the empty seat across from him. Never had he been so heartbroken about Loki not attending the evening feast before. Frigga let out a sniffle and Thor looked up at his mother to find that she had endured all she could.

"Mother…" Thor breathed out in sorrow, just loud enough for her to hear him.

Odin also looked up at his wife and his eyes reflected much of the same anguish as hers did.

"I just want my Loki… _I just want my son back!"_ Frigga cried hopelessly. "Hel knows what those icy demons are doing to him! Oh Hel, the stories about them. I hope to the fates that they exaggerate their abuse of the small-borns!"

Thor recalled the stories about the frost giants from his childhood. He and Loki would sit on Thor's bed in the evenings and listen to Odin read stories about brave warriors whom had slain hundreds of the Jötun beasts. In the stories the Jötun had always been savages that killed not only the Æsir, but people of their own kind as well.

"…"

Finally Thor had had enough. "_We must retrieve him immediately father_!" Thor boomed angrily as his mother's helpless sobbing began to take a toll on the young Æsir's mind. "My _brother _is not some tool! Loki is not a _toy!_ For Hel's sake father, _bring Loki home! Let him come home!"_

"_Do you not think I am trying Thor!_" Odin shouted back angrily at his first born son. "I love him as much as you do and I never would have wished this on him. _I had no choice!_ Jötunheimr was threatening _war_ with us."

"AND WE WOULD HAVE SLAYED HUNDREDS – NO, THOUSANDS – OF THOSE BEASTS! Loki should not have been used as a bartering piece!" Thor countered as he slammed a fist down upon the table. Some of the warriors and merrymakers were starting to notice the fight brewing between the king and the prince, but Thor did not care. All Thor cared about at this time was how he was going to retrieve his brother from the icy realm where he had been taken.

"_Do you not understand Thor!? _War with the Jötnar would have ended in huge casualties on both sides, I couldn't take that risk. I _had_ to play on the feeling that Laufey would choose his small born over the Casket of Ancient Winters. If I had been wrong, Ásgard would already be in the midst of a huge war!"

Thor stood from the table angrily, vehemently disagreeing with Odin with every action he took. With a slam on the table for emphasis, Thor strode out of the room, already planning his younger brother's rescue mission.


	2. The House of Þrymrjarson (Part Two)

_Chapter Two/Kapittel To:_

Odin Allfather son of Börr and father to now only one son, prince Thor of Ásgard, sat by himself in the throne room, contemplating silently. As a king he'd made so many decisions in his lifetime, so many decisions that had benefitted the people of Ásgard and had pushed its magnificent society forward in leaps and bounds. But, on the other hand, as a father and as a husband, Odin's decisions had seemed only to cause his family pain – not once could he recall a time when his family was actually _happy_. For the past two weeks, Frigga had spent a majority of her time locked in her chambers, only coming out for meals, and Odin had not bothered her – he knew she was grieving like a mother whose son had been lost to battle. Odin knew she blamed him, and he was desperate to make his wife see that giving their son Loki to Laufey was the only choice the old king had! Odin felt dirtied by his actions taken to prevent war with Jötunheimr. They were cowardly, as Thor had accused at the feast, just less than two weeks ago.

"_And we would have slayed hundreds – no, thousands – of those beasts!" _Odin heard Thor's voice in his head from that night, shouting enraged at his father, claiming that they would have won the war with Jötunheimr. Deep down, Odin knew it was true. Thor had been right about Ásgard's numbers against the Jötnar.

"But at what price…" Odin murmured, completely lost in his thoughts.

After Odin had reprimanded his oldest son the very next day, Thor had seemed to give up on the idea of rescuing his little brother, and Odin hated himself for putting his family through such pain. Thor had spent the past week ambling around the palace lifelessly and had spent a greater part of his time located in Loki's bedroom which no one had yet the heart to disturb. Thor had received none of his usual companions – Lady Sif and the warriors three – and this only caused Odin to worry more about the health of his eldest. Thor was normally enraptured by Lady Sif, and was usually eager to go on adventures with the Æsir that were in line to lord over various parts of the realm. Yet lately, Odin felt he could place no guilt on his eldest son, as all the guilt seemed to lie with Odin himself.

As Odin continued to think back for memories of a time when his family was happy, he only stumbled over fragments that he did not want to remember. He recalled that Frigga had yelled at him countless times over his treatment of their sons during their earlier days, admittedly, more often Loki than Thor, and Odin had yelled back at her saying '_it was for his own good_'. Frigga had even told Odin once that Loki had asked her if his father loved him as he loved Thor. The gap between Thor and Loki had widened so much that Thor had become the center of Odin's attentions, and without realising it, Odin had started to completely ignore his youngest son. Yet Odin, when he _had_ final realised it, had done _nothing!_ He had not assured Loki that he loved him; had not said one word on the matter! And as time went by, Odin began to realise that Loki had started to avoid him. The conversations that he once had with his sons, slowly dwindled down to Odin talking to Thor and occasionally lecturing Loki on his misbehaviour. Odin had so many regrets; his heart seemed almost broken. Yet, the thing that gave Odin nightmares every single night was the look that Loki had given him when he'd taken his child through the Bifröst and Loki had found himself on Jötunheimr.

"_Father, why are we here?" Loki had looked up at Odin, his coal black and emerald green eyes filled only with dread as a small blizzard raged around them on the forsaken world. _

_Odin had to force himself to keep his face an expressionless slate, although his look was still tainted with a grim frown. He would not let down his son by betraying him with tears in their final moments. Odin would remain a strong father, a father that could protect._

"_We are here because I have made a deal with the king of the Jötun, Loki. In order for peace to remain between our two peoples, we agreed on a trade."_

_Odin finally allowed himself to glance down at his son, but what Odin saw was more than he had expected, and more than he could take. Loki wasn't stupid. He had immediately grasped what Odin had meant by bringing him here. Yet, for Odin to have confirmed it with his words… Loki lost the last ounce of hope that he had desperately being clinging to._

"_Odin Allfather," A cold voice, distracted Odin from his son who was on the teetering edge of his sanity. "Is this him?"_

_Odin glared at the frost giant before him. "Laufey __Þrymrjarson," Odin replied. "Meet Loki _Odinson_." Odin put particular emphasis on the fact that Odin still considered Loki his son, but this seemed to only harden Laufey's hatred of him._

"_I will check that the child you have brought me is not a false __Æsir if you do not mind." Laufey said with an evil smirk in Odin's direction. Taking two huge strides towards Loki, Laufey gripped the man's arm. Loki looked shocked and absolutely frozen in fear. Odin wanted nothing more than to rip his son from Laufey's clutches and head straight back through the __Bifröst to __Ásgard where he could protect his son._

_Almost immediately, Loki's skin began turning a midnight blue and Loki shrieked as his glamour was forcefully removed from him. Loki ripped his arm out of Laufey's grip, stumbling backwards and falling arse-first into the snow. For the first time since Odin had plucked Loki from this ice-covered world, he saw his son's true form. Yet, while Odin had thought he would be repulsed by the sight of his son in his __Jötun form, he was not. If anything, it made Odin want to protect his son even more, though the old man could not for the life of him figure out why. Loki looked up at Odin with tears streaming down both sides of his face. Odin looked at his black-haired, blue-skinned son and felt his gaze finally show his sorrow for the first time since they had landed on this godforsaken world. It was clear from Loki's expression that he thought Odin must now hate him. Every thought going through Loki's mind showed raw upon his face. Quickly, Loki tried to reassemble his glamour, and slowly but surely, it did return to him._

"_A-are you really leaving me here father?" Loki whispered through his tears of distress. Odin did not hear the words, but he didn't need too to understand what Loki was saying._

_Odin didn't reply to his son, and instead, turned towards Laufey, his gaze hardening once again. "You have what you wanted. Now I expect you to uphold your end of the bargain."_

_Laufey nodded solemnly as his gaze turned back to his lost son._

_Odin, in a rare display of __Seiðr, cast a barrier between Loki and Laufey and himself. Turning on his heel, Odin cast his back towards Loki and headed back to the open __Bifröst portal, only a few meters away._

"_Father!" Loki screamed behind him as he found his feet and staggered to the barrier that kept Odin from his son. "Father, no! FATHER! Don't leave me here! I'm sorry–!"_

_Odin did not turn back to his son, as he heard Loki's despair filled screams and sobs behind him. The old god only placed one foot into the Bifröst, followed by the other, and suddenly Odin was back in __Ásgard where everything seemed abnormally normal._

_Odin didn't understand how all of Ásgard wasn't drowning in despair like he was. Why weren't they suffering as he? Finally, the old king allowed himself to morn, and he broke down into frame-wracking sobs in Heimdall's observatory, where only Heimdall himself could see Odin's shame._

* * *

The almighty Thor sat solitary and unusually silent in his brother's bedroom. The room had been largely untouched since Loki had left; still filled with his favourite things – all of them different shades of his favourite hues – and packed to the brim with the books that Loki had been forced to leave behind when Odin had traded Thor's younger brother for peace with the Jötun people – _as if Loki was nothing more than an object to be bought, traded, won and sold_. Yet, just sitting in the quiet of Loki's room made the blonde Æsir feel ever-so-slightly better, and quelled his heartache to some very small degree. Thor missed his brother terribly – _more than he could ever put into words –_ and every time he thought about Odin's repulsive decision, white, incandescent rage flooded every tiny crevasse in his mind. Thor had already made the decision to get his brother home, _no matter what it took, _but he hadn't quite figured out all the details of the plan. He'd never been much of a planner; he was the man of action, ready to charge into battle at a moment's notice. It was _Loki_ that planned out every little detail. _Loki_ was the one that had saved Thor's stupid neck every time he thought to be reckless in battle. Loki was always _the man with the plan._

Thor sighed dejectedly as he fell backwards onto his brother's bed pathetically, as if he were a lamenting woman, full of angst and self-wallowing in pity. If it had been only one year ago, Thor would have already charged into Jötunheimr and promptly demanded his brother's return. If the Jötnar had refused his demands, Thor would have laid waste to the ice land, leaving nothing untouched until he knew his fragile brother was once again safe with him. Safe and back in Ásgard where he belonged…

Thor snorted to himself. _Listen to me_, he thought. _I'm sounding like I have some sort of brother complex!_ Yet, as the humour of his thoughts died down, Thor began to wonder if there wasn't some truth behind those amused thoughts.

"What am I doing…?" Thor sighed loudly with a hint of irritation as he stared up at the roof of Loki's canopy bed which was adorned with Loki's favourite hue of emerald green. "What in Hel am I going to do?" He whispered to himself.

Following Thor's question was nothing but silence as Loki's empty room gave him no answers, _much like the man himself wouldn't have_, Thor thought with chagrin as he heard a knock on the door across the hall.

* * *

"_He is here?_"

Two tall frost giants strode into the hall of ice, silver and black pine, their hurried steps telling of their eagerness and their eyes shining with excitement. Hlín, Sol and Laufey stood in wait as the pair approached the trinity. Helblindi, the taller one, had short black hair that sat around his ears. He was tall, thin, clean shaven, resembled his father in likeness and was at least two-hundred years younger than the one who stood beside him. Býleistr was the older of the two frost giants. Sporting a mane of fire-red hair – an accident from when he was a young child causing this… mishap of hair colour – and a thick beard that matched, he was rather large round the middle, though he was still very tall. Both of them however, had the most beautiful midnight skin, with Býleistr only a few shades darker than his brother.

Hlín gave an amused chuckle at the pair's eagerness for news of their lost brother. Helblindi plastered on a smile as he smirked at his mother, sarcastic expression upon his handsome face. Ignoring her amusement, Býleistr turned to his father.

"Well?" Býleistr inquired curiously but warily.

"Yes," replied Laufey gently. "But he's… a bit fragile."

Býleistr nodded solemnly as he began to stroke his flourishing beard, and Helblindi frowned in thought.

"How's he taking it?" Helblindi quickly piped up.

Laufey sighed as all four eyes turned onto him. "He's getting better. …He joined us for a meal last night, but he didn't eat much – only an eple. Hel, I can't believe I'm saying this but, I'm beginning to think less that Odin mistreated him and more that Loki chose – and still chooses – to starve himself!"

Both of the brothers frowned, concern clearly written across their faces.

"When can we meet him?" Býleistr asked hesitantly.

Four hours later, Laufey Þrymrjarson sat beside his youngest son, who'd only now allowed Laufey to touch him after a solid half an hour of waiting. Laufey had been informed by Helblindi of some strange markings that he believed Laufey should take a look at and so, Laufey had promptly marched to his youngest son's bedroom and asked Loki to show him what Helblindi had spoken of. Yet, it was only now that Loki had finally dropped his glamour; his Æsir façade melting away to reveal his beautiful, midnight blue Jötun skin. _It was so unnatural and uncomfortable for Loki… _It was liked he'd been asked to strip naked in front of a room full of people.

Loki sat on the floor, his shirt off and facing away from Laufey as the king gasped at what he saw upon his son's back. Loki peaked over his shoulder at his father with well-concealed apprehension in his eyes.

"D-don't touch them." Loki's voice cracked with apprehension. Laufey assured him that he wouldn't touch his back unless Loki himself allowed it. Laufey looked at the scars running down Loki's back. Ugly and deep, Laufey couldn't help but think that at some point his child must've endured some sort of horrific torture.

"Loki," he murmured, a hint of anger concealed in his voice, his eyes never leaving the scars that ran down his back. "How did you obtain these scars?"

When Loki didn't answer immediately, Laufey instantly assumed the worst. "_Did Odin give these to you?!"_ Laufey yelled, his rage becoming plain. An image of Odin came into Laufey's mind and the frost giant seriously considered declaring war against the Æsir; Laufey wanted Odin _dead_, with his head served to Laufey on a silver platter. After everything Odin had done to his family, he deserved nothing less than to be tortured for eternity!

Loki shuddered, afraid of Laufey's voice. "No…" Loki replied quietly. Loki's fear did not go unnoticed by the frost giant king, and Laufey forced himself to calm, for Loki's sake. "Odin knows not of these scars either, nor Frigga… or Thor. I made sure of that."

At Loki's words, Laufey's rage quelled minutely, but not by much. "Then tell me Loki, say, who done this unto you!"

For a moment Loki hesitated, but with a final sigh the man gave in.

"His name is Týr." Loki let out a shuddering breath and then collected himself before continuing. "Týr is the captain of the guards in Ásgard and, as such, he is considered to be the best swordsman and warrior in Ásgard after Odin and Thor. Because he is considered such a great warrior, father made Thor and I … I mean, _Odin_ made Thor and I receive lessons with him. At first we had lessons together, but Thor became so good that Týr suggested to Odin we take separate lessons. Odin agreed, and after that we were separated. But, as soon as Týr had me alone, I had no Thor to watch out for me anymore. Týr never liked me, and his training sessions were… more than brutal. After two solid hours of it, it was all I could do to _stand,_ let alone fight. I had always been weaker than my brother, Týr knew this; he took advantage of it…"

Laufey listened attentively for the next hour as Loki spoke of his 'training' on Ásgard, though Laufey would have been lying if he said he had considered it to as such. To him, training a Seiðmenn in the art of sword play, or more to the point, expecting him to be as good as any normal man, seemed both stupid and torturous. Seiðmenn were not only known for their great Seiðr abilities, but also the fact that they were unlike normal Jötun and Æsir, and Laufey had not seen a Seiðmenn or Seiðkonur with Loki's talent in centuries. The last person Laufey could recall with such talents would have been his late mother, murdered by a man that Laufey feared, even now, after his long passing. Seiðr were known for their emotional connections and their great foresight, but they were slight and weak of hand. Most could not lift themselves from their beds using only their muscles. Most Seiðr would only use magic in their daily lives, and most Seiðr were considered cripple because of their lack of strength. Yet sometimes, as in Loki's case, the right combination of strength and Seiðr magic would be present at birth, and the child would be born without disability.

_Three hours previous… _

A knock on Loki's bedroom door startled him from his daydreams. Loki had been staring out the window, down to the snow covered ice below him, an open book left forgotten in his hand. The midnight-haired man ignored it for a moment, thinking it was a servant who wished to bring him more strange Jötun food, but suddenly his door was opened, and much to his surprise, a tall and unfamiliar frost giant walked through, stomping as loudly as Thor might've were Loki back home.

Dropping the book, Loki summoned his seiðr and prepared himself for battle against Ásgard's greatest enemy before remembering that, he too was now a part of this category. The black-haired Jötun froze in the doorway, his hand still attached to the golden door knob, warily watching for any further moves Loki might make. But when the taller frost giant realised that Loki was watching him in the same manor, the frost giant relaxed somewhat and entered Loki's room, closing the door behind him.

"Hey," Helblindi greeted Loki with a casual smile as he proceeded further into Loki's room. "Don't worry little brother, I'm not gonna hurt you."

Loki doubted Helblindi words, but the older Jötun quickly proceeded to sit down on Loki's bed. "We had to draw lots, Býleistr and I," Helblindi continued, hoping to ease Loki's doubts about him and trying to show Loki that he wasn't a threat. "To see who'd get the honour of meeting our little brother first. He obviously got the shorter stick!" Helblindi grinned again, but Loki remained unmoved, still eyeing him distrustfully from his position near the window.

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself," the older frost giant suddenly realised. "I'm Helblindi, your brother. _Technically_ I'm your half-brother, and I'm second in line to the throne, after Býleistr."

"Half-brother?" Loki suddenly blurted out, dropping his guard somewhat, and sitting on the far edge of the bed.

Finally getting Loki to speak encouraged Helblindi, and the Jötun smiled in success. "Yep, Býleistr and I are your half-brothers. We were born of Laufey and Fárbauti. Our mother was killed in the war between the Jötun and the Æsir – the first one that Odin led that is. Váli was Hlín's first born then Sol, and afterwards, you. Much like you Loki, I didn't really know my mother. Býleistr and I consider Hlín our mother, and I know she considers us her sons as well. Besides, I wouldn't have two little brothers and a little sister if father hadn't found a new bōndi."

Loki was silent as he thought on Helblindi's words. With a pang of sorrow, Loki recalled Frigga's smiling face and her auburn hair that sparkled radiantly in the sun. Even when Loki was being dwarfed by Thor's shadow, Frigga had still always made time for her second son. _But I wasn't really her son_, Loki reminded himself bitterly as his thoughts changed direction. _It didn't really matter what I did, or what I could do, I would never match up to Thor in her or Odin's eyes…__  
_  
"Loki?" Helblindi pressed after a long bout of silence from his little brother who still wore a glamour that made him appear Æsir. When Loki didn't respond, Helblindi gently reached over and touched Loki's bare shoulder. With a hiss of anger, Loki ripped himself from Helblindi's reach, scrambling up and quickly backing against the dark pine and aspen dresser that was enormously taller than Loki. Loki's glamour melted away before he could stop it, and for one heartbeat of a moment, Helblindi saw the scars that his little brother had concealed with his glamour along his neck, trailing downwards.

Helblindi sat frozen in shock as Loki veered away from him out of distrust – almost cat-like in his manor. The image Helblindi had witnessed had suddenly been burned into his mind, and Helblindi quickly decided he wouldn't ask. A part of him really didn't _want_ to know, but at the same time, Helblindi desperately wanted to help his little brother who had clearly been through a lot. He knew that he was going to have to tell their father…

* * *

Thor Odinson stepped into the library for the fourth time in the second week of Loki's absence. Although many had noticed, many just attributed it to Thor's grief for his loss – Loki had spent almost all his time in the library so it was reasonable to assume that Thor would go there when missing his little brother. Everyone around the Ásgard palace seemed to treat Loki's nonappearance as his death, but far more quickly than people had assumed, Thor had stopped drowning in his despair and had headed towards the library…

* * *

**Meow!  
New A/N: 25/06/2014**

_**So um, I'm "amending" my chapters at  
the moment. I didn't like some bits. So  
if you've read this story before date above,  
please feel free to reread the chapters. Haha...**_

_***awkward moment of silence for the awkward author***_

_**I'll post the "amended" third chapter soon! Please  
keep supporting me!**_


	3. Discovery

This chapter is a bit late and I forwardly apologise. I got a bit caught up in life and will be busy throughout this month and most of July with mid-term exams and assessments. Thusly, I again apologise for the next two months. **I aim to release of the first of every month**but unfortunately I might not make it exactly on the day. I am (lazily) also looking for a beta reader for this story so if you're interested, please PM me~! Also, I'm sorry that this chapter is so soppy. I only realised how OOC it was until I did the final edit. Okay onto the actual story.

* * *

_Chapter Three__/__Kapittel Tre:_

_The __sound of his chamber door creaking open tore Loki from his morose, depressing thoughts, and the emerald-eyed __Jötun__ looked up in surprise, temporarily distracted from his anxieties. A tuft of golden hair popped comically out from behind it and if Loki hadn't been drowning in distress, he might have laughed at the mildly amusing sight._

"_Brother? May I come in?" Thor hesitated with unusual distress marring his features._

_Loki drew a deep, jagged breath that shook his frame. As he puffed out the inhaled air, the word "sure" came out with it._

_Thor entered his brother's smaller chambers of green, gold and black watchfully, and he made his way over to where his little brother sat somberly. _

_His brow creased with concern as he looked at Loki. The young __Jötun__ point-blank _refused_ to make eye-contact with him – the feeling of shame welling-up inside Loki because he wasn't the same as his big brother – although Thor did not seem to notice. The blonde Æsir sat down beside his younger brother on the wooden chest and, although he raised his hand to put on his brother's shoulder, he thought better of it and let it drop to his side._

_Thor's heart ached so much as he looked at the desolate wreck of a man beside him. Only two days ago had Odin informed him (and indeed the rest of Ásgard) of what Loki was, but as it turned out, they weren't the only ones who didn't know about the __Jötun__ in their midst. Loki himself was still reeling in the shock, days later._

_After a few moments of awkward silence Thor finally heard his little brother speak through unmoving lips._

"_D-Do you hate it?" Loki whispered, cheeks heating up, ashamed of everything he was. He let his head hang and he clasped his hands together as he leant his elbows on his knees. _

"_Do you hate me_?_"_

_Taken aback, Thor looked at his brother in pure astonishment. Not once had the thought of hating his little brother crossed his mind. Not even after finding out that he was the seed of Ásgard's greatest enemy: King Laufey of __Jötunheimr._

"_Loki…" He finally managed to breathe. "I could never hate you. You're my little brother, I would never–"_

"_Everyone else does though," Loki quietly interjected, causing Thor to lapse into silence. "Everyone knows what I am now; I hear them talk about me daily as they spit in my direction. I'm a __Jötun! A thing! A monster–! Don't you see Thor?! I'm the nightmare that children dream at night. I'm the _thing_ that people want dead.__"_

_Thor's hand curled into a tight fist as he heard his brother's words and saw his expression of abhorrent loathing directed inwardly._

"_The palace is full of gossip-starved sharks Loki; you should pay them no heed!" Thor all but yelled, trying to boost his brother's feelings of self-worth. "No one of any _real _importance thinks these things Loki, I swear!"_

"_Please, do not lie to me brother." Loki replied plainly, continuing to keep his eyes glued to the ink-black floor. "I know they are not the only ones in saying these things."_

"_Who else has said such horrid words about you brother?! I will smite them where they stand!" Thor declared in blinding anger, practically ready to hunt them down immediately. Sure, his brother might be a __Jötun, but he was still the second prince of __Ásgard and no one had known otherwise until Odin had confessed his crime!_

"_You will not." Loki replied knowingly as he closed his eyes, attempting to keep his emotions contained. "Fandral, Volstagg, Hogun and the Lady Sif had such a conversation about me only yesterday." _

_Thor's mouth fell into a perfect O as he took in his raven-haired brother's words. _

"_Even Father…" Loki trailed off as he moved his hands to cover his face. Loki refused to cry in front of Thor again. He would hold steady. He was not a child anymore!_

"_Father does not hate you!" Thor argued, outraged at the notion that Loki believed their father to hate him._

_Loki, having pushed back his tears, removed his hands from his face and for the first time he looked up into Thor's ocean-blue eyes. The sorrow and anger that Thor saw swimming in Loki's eyes was enough to make him draw a shaky breath._

"_Maybe…" Loki replied bitterly. "But, he certainly doesn't love me."_

_Thor bit his lip uncertainly. If his life had been anything like it was only a few days ago, Thor would have vehemently disagreed with his brother. He would have proclaimed with absolute certainty from every corner of the palace that their father loved Loki as much as he loved Thor, but now things were different. Things had changed… and Thor was not as sure as he once had been._

"_Loki I'm sure that's not–"_

"_After all, how could he." Loki interrupted again, his eyes glazed over with disgust as he directed them back to the ground. He looked at the floor with a scrunched up expression that Thor could not name. "I'm not even _Æsir_! I'm not something he's ever going to see as a son!"_

_Thor looked upon his brother helplessly. "Loki," Thor grasped his brother's wrist and forced his brother to face him. "Y–"_

_But Thor did not even get to begin. A sudden realization came over Loki's face as Thor jolted his head upwards, and before he knew it, Loki was spitting out thoughts he'd never before contemplated. _

"_I – I'm j-just… I'm just a _war trophy_…" Loki whispered, growing pale. The young __Jötun__ dropped his eyes and froze where he sat. But Loki wasn't the only one coming to terms with this realization. Thor was utterly shocked. Never would he have ever thought his younger brother to think like this. But with this sudden chain of events spinning out of control, Thor felt that his perfect life was being shattered like glass. The sibling he loved was being ripped away from him – both mentally and soon, physically also, but Thor would not tell his brother that they were soon to be parted. He had only recently been told of Loki's imminent departure, and no one had yet had the heart to tell Loki of his fate. Thor would protect Loki. And as he had not yet managed to sway Odin's thoughts on the subject, keeping Loki in the dark would stop him from further suffering._

"_Loki," Thor gripped his shoulders and forced Loki to look him in the eyes. "No matter what you believe or what anyone says to you from here onwards, I want you to know something and I want you to carry it with you… use it as a shield if you must. Just know this, _I will always see you as my brother_, I will always love you Loki. No matter what anyone says to you, this will always be true. No matter what father's intentions were all those years ago – war trophy or not – just know that _my _feelings are real. You're my brother Loki and I swear upon the names of my ancestors that this will never change."_

_As his brother spoke, Loki's eyes widened into black orbs the size of dinner plates. After a second of silence and hesitation, Loki grabbed Thor's upper arm and gripped it tightly, leaning his head against his brother's shoulder for support. Thor just petted his brother calmly on the head with his other free arm._

"_Thank you Thor." Loki whispered almost imperceptibly as Thor miserably stroked his brother's hair. The incredible sadness within Loki's words caused his chest to seize up. A tight constriction filled with anguish gripped his heart. There were very few times in his life where Thor had felt quite so powerless._

_Pulling his brother into a tight hug, he nestled Loki's head against his collarbone. Ordinarily, Loki would've pulled away from such open affection, as deep down he believed that everyone else saw it as weakness; making Loki feel like a child again. Yet, being held in his brother's embrace made Loki feel completely safe – as though no one could touch him because Thor was there to protect him from harm._

I promise Loki, I'll come for you. I'll bring you home. _Thor thought to himself._

Thor was suddenly jolted from his dream by the sound of a heavy crash. The blonde Æsir immediately stood, kicking back the chair he had been sitting on and seizing his hammer – Mjölnir. Looking around the library where Thor had fallen asleep, he tried to pinpoint the source of the heavy crash before looking down and quickly reaching the conclusion that a stack of books falling from the table to the floor was what had harshly pulled him from his slumber.

For four long weeks Thor had been coming here, and while he'd learned some strange and destructive secrets, it turned out that every lead had been a dead end.

The blonde Æsir sighed and bent down to pick up the fallen books realising that, other than his noisy rustling, the library was silent. _I guess that's why Loki liked it so much… _Thor mused silently as he set the books back onto the table with a dull thud.

The palace library was a grand structure that had four circular sections with domed roofs, each with bookshelves that reached the ceiling. The main section – the one that Thor currently sat in – was by far the largest and the tallest, and had bookshelves covering almost all of the walls. Each walled bookshelf was roughly one-hundred meters tall, but each book was meticulously kept by the nine librarians that haunted the dusty rooms. Every librarian bar one was female and all had Seiðr abilities. The palace only hired people who could get books down with magic – otherwise it was far too troublesome.

The floors were all crafted of tainted, polished marble consisting of gold, crimson and white – Ásgard's three main colours, and the ceilings were all made from stained glass that reined a multitude of colour down upon anyone inside the library at midday.

In each section there was a help desk manned by a librarian during the hours of nine in the morning to five in the evening, and throughout the library there were tables with chairs for scholars to sit at and read their hefty tomes. Each table had an emerald and gold lamp upon it, although Thor could have sworn that when he was a child the lamps were a cream colour, not green.

The three smaller sections were all very similar to the main section but were at least half the height and size. The biggest of the smaller sections branched out to the left and another to the right, and adjoining the right section was the third and final room which was just about the size of Thor's chambers. Each room was connected by a handcrafted marble arch, which had various sculptures of legends coming out of the stone.

Thor sighed dejectedly, once again sitting down at the dark pine study desk. He began flicking through another large tome, hoping that he would find some sort of clue as to how he could rescue his brother from Jötunheimr before the next century, although, at this rate it didn't seem likely.

* * *

"Ah, _goddamn it, _where in Hel's name did he go?!"

Ducking under a tiny stone arch that led to a small passageway, Loki kept out of sight of the cluster of guards following him. He'd quickly learned a multitude of escape routes – helpful hints from the cooks and the maids who absolutely adored the mischievous prince – plus, he'd already been to the library and found a book with a layout of the palace.

He'd already learned many things about his new home and the people who inhabited it in the short time he'd been living in Jötunheimr. The most obvious, but least shocking had been that, frost giants were only about the size of Æsir. He'd quickly realised that he had been a fool to listen and believe the ancient tales of the Æsir. It turned out, to Loki's surprise, that the only Jötun that had actually been _a true giant_ was the first, and the mother of all Jötnar, Ymir. However, Loki was still considered small by both peoples – Æsir _and_ Jötun.

Loki's delusions of small-born hatred were also quickly dismissed. It turned out that Jötun did not abuse their small-borns as the Æsir believed. Instead, Loki had concluded that most Jötnar were just curious about them, as healthy small-borns were born so few and far between. Unfortunately, quite a number of the members around the palace had taken a rather curious interest in the youngest prince, and this had led to a series of events including some mischief on his behalf and now, thanks to Laufey no doubt, Loki had been assigned a quintet of assorted soldiers.

For the fourth time this week, Loki had managed to give them the slip. He found them mildly maddening at times – (seriously, he was a grown man, he did not need _babysitters_) – yet what was most annoying was that they showered their attention on him. He didn't _want_ to be the center of anyone's attention, especially after so many years of being blatantly ignored.

Loki found it odd to even be considered attention _worthy_ on the Jötunheimr world. In Ásgard, no one had looked upon him as a beauty – solely because of the colour of his hair. Being the shiny colour of midnight instead of the luxurious sun-kissed gold, had been seen as a terribly bad omen and often Loki had overheard guests of the palace say this directly to his mother and father. No one had looked upon him for his strength either, especially when he was compared to Thor – his physical stature was nothing to be proud of.

"_Caught ya!" _A tight grip clenched around arm, quickly pulling Loki from his distracted thoughts. A surprised yelp unintentionally left his throat, after which he tried to yank his arm away, but with little success.

A tall guard by the name of Tön hauled him out of his hiding place, and Loki was greeted irritably by four other ugly mugs of pissed off Jötnar guards: Eliás, Vylik, Jöyx, Hýrjm. Tön was the head of Loki's guards, and the man towered above the youngest prince, making Loki wonder – not for the first time – if Tön actually could be considered a giant.

"Laufeyson Loki, could you _please_ stop disappearing from our sight. We have been ordered by the King to keep watch over you during–"

"I don't need to be watched!" Loki spat venomously.

"Being that as it may–"

"I am perfectly capable of looking after myself!" He continued, hissing aggressively.

Tön sighed tiredly as he watched each of the guards try and lecture Loki before being growled at viciously and backing off. The prince was far too much trouble than he would've liked at this stage, though, he couldn't deny that he had already become rather endeared to the young man. Loki had a feisty personality that had come as a breath of fresh air to him, and more importantly, the fact that the prince resembled his own brother made Tön want to protect and guard the coal-haired imp.

Loki ripped his arm from the elder Jötun's grasp and started walking sullenly down the hallway as he rubbed his wrist sorely. "I don't know why I need an escort," Loki sulked. "I never needed one in Ásgard."

He watched the five other Jötun flinch at the word he had casually tossed into conversation with a satisfied smirk.

"This is not _Ásgard_ young prince." Tön replied tightly, choking slightly on the word "Ásgard" as it filled his mouth.

Loki grinned inwardly as he heard Tön's rigid reply. He got his kicks by watching the five flinch and wince ever time he mentioned the word Ásgard or her people. He especially liked the time when he had casually referred to Odin and everyone had tensed and paled.

"Still, one would think that I wouldn't need protection on my home world now would I?" Loki continued dismissively. He already knew his escort wasn't really for his protection: the words _baby-sitting crew_ again came to mind.

The five fell silent. They knew as well as Loki that it wasn't for his protection, but continued with the charade anyhow.

When nobody said a word, Loki "hmph'ed" and sped up to a brisk pace – heading towards the library where he felt most comfortable. The group _was _slightly annoying, but truth be told, he actually rather liked the group of five and Tön was reassuringly similar to Thor in his mannerisms.

As he strode down the ice embellished stone hallway, his mind began to drift desolately onto the topic of his older brother back on Ásgard. Although Loki couldn't deny that he liked his Jötun family, there was still something missing – a something that was tall, blonde and extremely Æsir. Thor had been his best friend. Everyone else may have thought this strange, but Loki thought it rather normal considering that everyone else around his age had thought him a freak and a girly-boy for practicing Seiðr magic.

The group reached the limestone library in a good amount of time and since the guards were sure that the trickster wouldn't make any mischief if he was emerged in his books, they largely left him alone.

Much like the library he'd grown up in on Ásgard, the library was vast although the two shared little other than that. The palace library on Jötunheimr was nowhere near as tall height-wise – everything was within arm's reach – and the entire library was filled with ice tables and chairs that seemed to never melt, no matter what temperature they were subjected to (Loki had tried burning a chair to see if it would melt). The bookshelves themselves were far easier to navigate as they all had labels above them with the topic nature of their books.

In a corner of the library that Loki had claimed as his, he settled down onto a huge cushion next to his pile of unread books. Picking up a book entitled "_A Historic and Scientific Account of the Relation of __Seiðr __Jötun_", Loki opened the front cover and turned to the first page. What he wasn't expecting was that, immediately after opening to the page, the words would scramble to rearrange themselves before his very eyes.

"_What the–!_" He exclaimed abruptly, dropping the book in surprise.

The well-worn book remained on the page he had opened to and Loki peered at it suspiciously with a single arched brow. Dismissing his immediate shock and retrieving the book from the ground warily, he noticed that a sentence had formed across the top of the page while the other letters sat in a jumbled pile at the bottom.

Spying his name he quickly began reading, guarded yet keen.

_Loki, if you are reading this then it means I have succeeded in finding a way to communicate with you. Anything you write on this page will appear on the sister page that I have. Please write back within twenty-four hours so that I know I have succeeded in reaching you._

_Your brother, Thor._

Loki looked down at the page in surprise. Surely this was a prank. Yes, that was it: someone was trying to trick him! If he wrote on the paper he would feel like a fool. _He_ was the trickster, _he_ didn't get tricked. Not to mention he would be ruining a _book_ if he wrote back.

Jokes such as this had been pulled over him before. Similar things had been done to him as a child by other Æsir children or by bored guards who just wanted a laugh at his expense. If the people of Jötunheimr thought he would fall for the same thing again, _they were dead wrong_.

Yet, in his homesick state, Loki didn't want it to be a stupid prank. He _badly_ wanted to believe that Thor was trying to find a way to bring him home. Desperately wanting to believe it because everyone else in his life had left him; abandoned him for some reason. Everyone had given him up, or given him away, or left him by himself – everyone except Thor. Thor had not yet let him down and Loki _needed_ someone not to give up on him. Laufey and Odin – both of them had discarded him like an unwanted dog. They could both try and deny it, but he knew that neither of them had any real excuses as to why they'd left him on his own. His mothers' – Frigga and Hlín – neither of them seemed to care an overly large amount about his welfare. He'd barely met Hlín, speaking to her only once since his arrival, and Frigga had sent him away, barely protesting as Loki was figuratively torn from her arms.

Loki squeezed his eyes shut and with a dry gulp he swallowed the bitterness in his mouth. He was disappointed in himself. He could never allow himself to think like this. He knew it was a ruse. He knew.

But still…

Loki picked up the book, and after hiding it in the folds of his coat, he made his way out of the library. His heart slowly burning with every step he took and his head spinning with radical thoughts.

* * *

**Amended: 27/06/2014**


	4. The Jötun Book: Distrust

_Well, I have returned! I finished this chapter earlier than I thought I would (I got on a roll today and finished it much earlier than I had originally planned) though, I'm kind of nervous. I've never had so many followers on any of my stories before and I'm worried because now there's more pressure to make it turn out okay (WAAAH! PRESSURE!)_

_But with that, this will be a double chapter month (awesome) and I'll still publish another chapter next month. I hope you all enjoy._

_{O} – Börr = Can be pronounced either as [bo:]/[bow] or with a light [r] on the very end: [bo:r]_  
_{O} – Bölþorn = [bʊ:lθorn]/[ Bolthorn]_  
_{O} – Bestla = As is read. (Best-lah)_  
_{O} – Búri = [bjøri]/[b-yu-ri]_

* * *

_Chapter Four__/__Kapittel Fire:_

Loki lay face down on his green, silky pillow with only the corner of his mouth, half of his nose and one eye visible. It was midnight and the Jötun ice palace was silent; the only audible noise was the sound of his breath and the snowy blizzard raging violently outside.

In the time that Loki had spent here, he'd somehow already managed to turn his room into an unfathomable mess that he did notwant to clean. He wasn't quite sure _how_ he'd managed to get the room quite so messy in only just over a month, but honestly, it made the room feel more homely. His own room had never been in such a state of disarray before, but Thor's had always been a huge mess. The tall wardrobe on his left held a mountain of books on the inside and on the top and every spare surface was covered in parchment, plus books and experiments that Loki liked to run. The midnight floor bore most of the brunt, holding several large piles of clothes and, again, more books.

From where he lay, Loki glared at a single book that sat across from him. The book sat on an ornately carved, wood and ice bedside-table beside him. The table had figurines of Jötun warriors slaying mighty beasts and standing on mountains of ice wolves, but as for the book, there really wasn't anything special about it… aside from the fact that someone had decided that they would pull a prank on him by writing him a note that claimed it was from Thor.

However, he'd gone to bed that night with the words swimming in his brain, unable to put them out of his mind… Words that did_ sound_ very much like Thor…

"…_Loki, if you are reading this then it means I have succeeded in finding a way to communicate with you. Anything you write on this page will appear on the sister page that I have. Please write back within twenty-four hours so that I know I have succeeded in reaching you._

_Your brother, Thor…"_

Loki growled as he turned over, forcing himself to look away from the book and close his eyes. _This was stupid_. This made him feel like a complete idiot. Someone was just trying to see if they could trick the trickster. That was all this was!

…_But what if it's real?_

Again Loki rolled over. He turned back to the book with an audible huff and eyed it dubiously yet _again. _

"UGH! Fine!" He exclaimed a few moments later, resolving to toss away his pride just this once.

He would write in the friggin' book, and if nothing came out of it then he could always burn the bloody thing! He would feel like a fool, but no one else would have to know of his idiocy and therefore his embarrassment would be his own.

Sitting upright, throwing the heavy fur blankets off and casting a magic light into the air which shined a magnificent yellow colour, Loki reached for a writing implement and the book that sat on his bedside table amongst other scattered things.

With the book in his hand, he opened to the page where the note had originally been written. For a moment he looked at it and then reread the text. It looked so similar to Thor's handwriting, and the clumsy, oafish nature of the words used did _sound_ like something Thor might write…

With a sigh, Loki placed the tip of the writing tool against the page and wrote a single word.

_Thor…?_

Then, suddenly the magic text that had previously been on the page disappeared, which left only Loki's cursive handwriting upon the blank parchment-paper. Loki stared at the word for a few minutes, not expecting much and preparing to write a longer note to his "brother" – whoever that person might _actually_ be – when suddenly his word vanished as another appeared.

_LOKI!_

The word appeared alarmingly, giving Loki a mild shock before he reasserted himself. Loki looked down at the hastily scratched word with narrowed eyes as it disappeared from the page and a longer sentence replaced it.

_Loki it's me, Thor! I've finally found a way to reach you, thank Valhalla. There's so much I want to say and want to ask – how are you? Are you alright over there? They're not hurting you are they?_

Loki felt a sudden bout of homesickness return as he read the words before him. Even if this person wasn't Thor… It still caused him to long for his Æsir family…

With a start Loki realised how ridiculous he was being.

He snorted to himself, slammed the book shut and threw it on the bed before pacing around the messy room in his night clothes. "Why should I care how they feel about me?" He ranted to the empty room. "_They_ were the ones who _stole_ me from my people, from my rightful place!" He shouted, jutting out a finger to emphasize just whom exactly he blamed.

"_They're _nothing but _monsters_!" He yelled openly, "Nothing but kidnappers of children!"

With a sudden burst of anger he pushed over a pile of books, causing them to crash to the ground loudly, after which, he heard a short, startled scream from a few rooms down. But he was too angry to care whom he'd woken.

He stomped over to the mirror in the corner of the room a glared at himself, repulsed by what he saw. The white skin and green eyes that Odin had forced upon him as a child was a disguise to hide what he really was… Disguising him so that when Odin looked upon him he wouldn't see a lost Jötun babe, but an Æsir boy that seemed out of place in a world full of golden-haired beauties.

Loki felt his rage come over him as he looked at himself. He didn't belong _anywhere!_ This form was only keeping him out of the hearts of both Odin and Laufey!

"NO! THOR I'M NOT OKAY!" he screamed, responding vocally to "Thor's" earlier question as he pushed the mirror over and watched it crash to the ground into a thousand tiny pieces. "_I'm not okay!_ I'm not Æsir and I don't look Jötun, _so what the hell am I?_"

Loki sunk to his hands and knees and let out huge, ugly sobs as he heard the door open but dismissed the noise.

"What the hell–!" Laufey exclaimed softly before he heard the noises of his son's sobbing.

Rounding the bed, Laufey was heart-broken by what he saw. His little Loki was crying honestly, his hands and knees bloody from leaning on the smashed mirror. All Laufey could see was the obvious waves of hurt and betrayal that were coming off his son so strongly.

"Loki…" He whispered, quickly hurrying over to his son and gathering the boy in his arms. For really, Loki was only a boy… However much he claimed to be a full grown man, when Laufey looked at his son, all he saw was a broken child who did not understand what was happening to him.

With Laufey's arms wrapped around him, Loki's glamour began to melt away and when Laufey next looked into his son's eyes, they were the same crimson red as his own.

Laufey took his son out from his room and they went to Loki's en suite where Laufey drew a hot bath so that Loki could wash the blood from his hands and knees. It was at that moment that the older Jötun realised that Loki's scars ran deeper than the surface of his skin.

* * *

"_Prince __Börr__! She is here: your future fiancé!" A short Page exclaimed excitedly, running up to the prince of __Ásgard._

_Börr__ snorted loudly. "Honestly, I don't know why I need to marry at this age. I've only just come of age! I don't want to be tied down with my father's stupid 'obligations'. Besides," he added in a scathing tone, "she's a _Jötun_, an ugly beast! Why should a prince have to marry an ugly beast?"_

"_Sire," sighed the young knight-in-training, "you'd better not let your father or your soon-to-be fiancé hear you say such things. You'll end up in deep trouble. Besides, you know why you have to marry her: it's to reconcile our people. Jötunheimr wants to avoid war as much as we do, so please remain on your best behaviour!"_

_Börr__ eyed his Page before rolling his eyes. "You know, for a Page, you're awfully naggy. Sometimes I think I mistake you for my mother."_

_The pair had just reached the great hall and the small Page flushed with embarrassment as __Börr__ backhandedly gave him praise._

"_J… Just remember –!" The Page yelled out as the prince crossed the threshold of the courtroom doors._

"—_best behaviour, yeah, yeah I got it!"_

_The young knight-in-training smirked at the prince's words, and turning on his heel, he ran off to attend his errands._

_Meanwhile, __Börr_ _walked determinedly towards the throne room as he nervously adjusted the cuffs on his cream shirt. Upon reaching the door, __Börr placed his shaking hand upon the wood and pushed the heavy thing open._

"_Ah! Börr my son, you've arrived! How nice of you to keep our _guests_ waiting!" Börr was greeted with thick sarcasm from his father __Búri, King of __Ásgard._

_The prince bowed low to the Jötun guests and apologised as formally as he could._

"_Never mind your tardiness young prince, you are here now and that is all that matters to young Bestla and I." Börr heard a male voice speak in deep, ringing tones._

_For a brief second, the prince's face furrowed. _Bestla_. Even her name made her sound like a beast._

"_Please, raise your head young prince." The male voice ordered politely._

_Yet as Börr rose from his bow, he was unprepared for the sight that greeted him. Beside a tall, dark blue Jötun male who sported dark black hair and crimson eyes, was a beautiful young maiden who appeared to be… _Æsir!? _She had long gold hair that reached her waist, sun-kissed skin and blue eyes that sparkled like ocean water. _

_His mouth dropped open, causing him to gape at the pair and forgetting formality. "Eh? But you're not Jötun! You look nothing like a Jötun!"_

"_Börr—!" His father hissed. But __Búri was interrupted by the beautiful woman who stood before __Börr._

_She stepped forward and with a polite smile, she replied to the prince's outburst of surprise. "It is true that I do not look Jötun, but that is because I wear a glamour that makes me appear like a full-blooded __Æsir. I am actually a half and I can do this because I carry __seiðr in my veins – I was studying to be a full __seiðkonur_ _before I was told I had to marry you."_

"_Bestla__—!" This time it was Bestla's father who hissed._

_But again, the bold woman interrupted by decidedly removing her glamour. "This is what I really look like," she announced as her pale skin melted away to reveal dark blue lines along her snowy coloured skin. Her hair changed from a glorious blonde to a rich, earthy brown and her blue eyes appeared to be brown and black with little flecks of red cast around the iris._

_As she stood there with her glamour melted away, it was all Börr could do not to gasp at her beauty. Honestly, her true form was even more impressive than her glamour and the prince wondered if he had ever seen a more beautiful woman._

"_Bestla__—!" Hissed her father again, "You're not making a very good impression!"_

"_On the contrary __Bölþorn, I think my son is enchanted with your daughter's natural beauty." Interjected __Búri with a booming laugh that echoed throughout the entire chamber._

_At the sound of his father's laugh, __Börr was spurred out of his stupor and into action – this was something he had been ordered to do. If he had to marry a Jötun woman, he would definitely marry the prettiest. He carefully stepped over to Bestla and took her hand between his._

_Getting on his knee he looked into her mysterious eyes and steeled himself._

"_Bestla, the most beautiful Jötun I have ever laid my eyes on. For the good of our two peoples, I ask that you accept my hand in marriage and become my queen when I ascend to the throne of __Ásgard."_

_Bestla couldn't have seemed more uninterested in his proposal, but he knew she would accept. It was obvious that they were both being forced into this marriage, but there was little either of them could do. They would just have to deal with whatever came next._

"_Börr, future king of __Ásgard and son of __Búri, I accept your hand in marriage and hope that you would take my hand to be my husband."_

_Börr stood and pulled out a ring from his back pocket._

"_Please accept my grandmother's wedding ring as a sign of our marriage." He said, slipping an engagement ring on her left hand._

"_On Jötunheimr it is customary to give a gift in return," replied Bestla, not missing a beat. The half Jötun waved her hand over the air and out of nowhere appeared a necklace. The necklace was blue and in the center swirled a mysterious blue substance that made Börr immediately suspicious._

"_This is my grandfather's – it is a necklace with Jötun ice magic inside. Once upon a time there was a second Casket of Ancient Winters, though it went by another name. The casket was destroyed long ago in a war between our two peoples, but my grandfather found this tiny piece which had scattered in the snow. It is said to bring health and prosperity to anyone who wears it."_

_The prince allowed her to tie the necklace around his neck and it quickly turned a golden colour._

"_It is also said to reflect the heart of the bearer, but I do not know how to translate the colour of the necklace to the soul of the wearer."_

"_Thank you, it is very beautiful."_

_After a few more formalities, Bestla and her father __Bölþorn left the throne room and made their way back to Heimdall's gate with an escort of __Æsir guards, leaving __Börr_ _alone with his father._

"_Well," said __Búri a few moments later, clapping a hand over his son's shoulder. "I think that went rather well, even though you _were_ late."_

"_Yes…" __Börr agreed, though somewhat absentmindedly._

"_She's a feisty one though; you're going to have to keep an eye on a woman like that!" __Búri chortled as he made to exit the throne room._

_Börr grimaced, touching the newly placed item around his neck. _

"_Maybe…" he murmured so that only he could hear. "Maybe…"_

* * *

In Ásgard, Thor sat impatiently at the oaken desk in Loki's room. He sat staring out of the full-length window at the orange, pink and purple sky which had blazes of blinding gold highlighting the edges of huge pink, fluffy clouds. He rapped his finger over the wood of the table anxiously. _It's been two hours now…_ Thor couldn't help but wonder what had happened, and every time he thought about his brother he became more and more anxious.

Two hours ago Thor had been finishing up in the training ring with the warriors three – Fandral, Volstagg and Hogun – who had managed to drag Thor out of the library where he'd become a recluse to in Loki's absence. Truthfully, everyone was a little worried about the blonde prince. It had been well over a month since Loki's departure, but still Thor was acting as if he'd only been gone a few days. His determination to "rescue" his little brother was perturbing to everyone. But unknown to everybody, Thor had made great progress in his attempts to reach Loki, and his latest project sat on the bench just outside the ring.

Thor had been toweling himself off after a vigorous workout with Volstagg as he habitually reached for the little book he had found. The book was ancient and pages were falling out. It didn't have any title but was bound tightly with a leather cover. Inside the front cover was a note from the author and an explanation as to how the book worked.

Thor had learned that the seiðr infused book was actually a Jötun creation. Once one wrote the name of the person they wished to contact on a blank page, the book would link a sort of "messenger portal" to the last book that the person they were trying to contact touched. Thor thought this was a genius idea – Loki read books, constantly! So he'd written Loki's name on the top of a blank page and then wrote his message below.

But after checking the book persistently for the entire day, Thor was beginning to give up hope that Loki _had_ received his message. Yet, he'd opened the book on his lap as he dried his sweaty forehead, to find a single word glaring back at him questioningly.

_Thor…?_

Loki's bold, cursive handwriting was plainly written below his last message. It was certainly Loki's handwriting, of that he was certain. No one else wrote Thor's name with such a huge and strangely shaped 'T'. Honestly, Thor envied his brother's handwriting as his own was scratchy looking and looked as though he'd spent no time working on it since he was a child.

The Æsir prince was shocked, but quickly attempted to recover himself. Loki was probably looking at the book right now, so he had to hurry! Dashing inside the palace at lightning speed, he tried to find a quill or some other writing tool that he could use to reply to his little brother's message and finally, he managed to snatch a quill off a maid who had been in the middle of writing a letter to her lover.

Thor ignored her angry protests as he scratched down his reply.

_LOKI!_

He'd begun, trying to make sure his brother didn't think he was some trickster trying to pull one over him. But quickly, he asked the questions he'd wanted to know the answers to for over a month now. Not once had he and his brother spoken since Loki had left, and this wasn't an opportunity that Thor was willing to waste.

_Loki it's me, Thor! I've finally found a way to reach you, thank Valhalla. There's so much I want to say and want to ask – how are you? Are you alright over there? They're not hurting you are they?_

Each question came out rapidly. Thor had to know if Loki was alright. What if the Jötun had hurt him, or what if he was slowly starving to death!

Yet, two hours later, he was sitting at the desk in Loki's room without reply, becoming more anxious by the minute.

"_Loki…" _He muttered to himself as he stared at the blank section of paper before him. _"Why haven't you answered me little brother… What happened?"_

Thor picked up a quill, opened Loki's half-empty ink pot and dabbed the tip inside.

_Loki, please reply! I'm desperate to know if you're alright –_

He wrote hastily before stopping abruptly. _What if Loki thinks that the person he's talking to isn't me? _He thought had been fooled enough times to think that this could be some sort of prank… He had to prove otherwise.

_Loki, I know you think this could be a prank. I know you well, so I know that's what you think is going on here. So I will share a secret that only three people know, you, me and one other person._

_When we were of early age, this person had golden hair, but then one day it mysteriously turned black. No one knew what had happened to this person's hair. But I knew it was you, and this person also knew it was you but was so ashamed that they didn't tell anyone that you had secretly cut their hair._

_So only you can answer me this question: whose hair did you cut Loki?_

Thor dried the quill and closed up the ink pot. He had finally found a way to reach his brother, now all he had to do was prove his identity and Loki would know that he could trust the mysterious ink that appeared upon his books.

All he had to do was get Loki to trust him.

… _easier said than done._

* * *

**_Also, please review! (but be nice? though of course I don't mind constructive criticism.) _**


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